Journey of the Heroes
by jakeroo123
Summary: AU, collab with my sister. Mario and Luigi were just normal adventurers, apart from the fact that they were of the rare human race. One day, by a chance encounter, they find out why humans are so rare - And, with a new compainion in the Princess of the kingdom, set out on their biggest adventure ever.
1. Chapter 1: A New Adventure!

**Chapter 1: A New Adventure!**

* * *

"Another day, another adventure! Never gets old, eh, bro?" Luigi asked his brother, as the two walked towards the West Gate of Toad Town. Luigi was pretty average-looking, as far as humans go. Not too tall, but certainly not short, bright blue eyes, and brown hair. He did have a rather distinctive well-groomed moustache and nose, and was wearing a bright green hat and shirt with crisp denim overalls, work boots, and large cotton gloves.

"Nope. It doesn't get any better than this," Mario sighed. The man was very similar to his younger brother in appearance, though he wore red, was rather short, and didn't seem to care as much for cleanliness as his brother. His overalls were faded and scruffy, his mustache a bit more uneven. Despite this, he didn't carry himself like that. One look in his eyes, and you could see that this was a brave, loyal man who would go to the ends of the planet to accomplish his goals.

By trade, the two brothers were adventurers. They left Toad Town at least three times a week to explore the surrounding countryside. Sometimes they found little treasures, sometimes they helped people in need, and sometimes they just found new places. Money was never really a problem for them, not in the sense that they were rich, but that it was easy enough for them to support themselves with what they found while exploring.

They'd had a rather productive day today - They'd found nearly 100 coins over the day, enough to feed them for a week. Or, to buy some new building materials, Mario noted. Luigi seemed to be itching to remodel the house again.

Mario and Luigi lived in a house on a small hill just at the western border of Toad Town. It was a small house, just two rooms and a loft, including the bathroom. They'd built it themselves a couple of years back, as soon as they'd been old enough to live on their own. Since then, Luigi had been improving the house every several months. It was a nice enough place, but it could get a little lonely; he and Luigi had no family other than each other. Some Yoshis living on an island to the south had found them as babies some twenty-odd years before, and they'd been living in Toad Town, going from one foster family to the next, ever since then. They never stayed in one place long, because no matter where they stayed, strange things seemed to find them and complicate their lives. Eventually, they figured out that it was because of their abilities; from then on they did their best to at least keep their abilities under wraps so as to avoid attracting any more unwanted attention.

Mario was so lost in thought that he missed the noise of a bush they had just passed rustling. Luigi, however, didn't. He turned on the spot, and blasted the bush with a strong wind. The leaves of the bush ripped off, revealing a strange, yellow, turtle-like creature with a green shell.

"... What are you?" Luigi asked.

Mario punched him in the shoulder for being rude.

"... Oh, sorry. Um…" Luigi trailed off, seeing the creature staring at him.

"You're one of them…" The creature said. "After all these years… And me! I'm just a scout! And I found the second of the four! Oh, this is going to be promotion city!" The reptile laughed. "But if I take you out…"

Now Mario glared at the thing. He didn't care about being rude to it anymore - if he was understanding right, and he was pretty darn sure he was - this thing wanted to hurt his brother. And no one hurt his brother. The temperature near the man was rising rapidly, and, as soon as the creature moved, he jumped in front of his brother and ignited his hands.

"...two?" The creature seemed dumbfounded. "TWO?!" And with that, the creature curled up into its shell, which suddenly shot off. Even as quick as they were, the brothers couldn't react fast enough to catch it before it was out of sight.

[break]

The West Gate of Toad Town was just as it normally was. There were people walking about, talking like nothing was wrong in the world - because, to them, there wasn't anything wrong. Toad Town had always been a peaceful, neutral place. Even if bandits roamed the countryside, the town itself was safe from any threat.

Instead of immediately taking the path leading up the hill to their home, Mario made a left at the foot of the path, and knocked on the door of his and Luigi's closest neighbor, Russ T. He was the librarian at Toad Town's library, and knew practically everything about the history of the world. What was more important, though, was that he'd always been a good friend to the Mario Brothers.

It took a few minutes for Russ to come to the door, and upon seeing the Mario Brothers, he immediately welcomed them into his home and made some tea for them.

"So, what's this visit for?" Russ asked, once they were all seated.

Mario set his cup down after sipping it politely (he was more of a coffee person), and began to explain about the creature they'd met. As he described it, Russ grew pale.

"Ah… and… how did you meet this being?"

Luigi was still too busy drinking his tea to answer, so Mario told him.

"Luigi blasted the bush it was hiding in with air."

It was as though a bob-omb had decided that the Russ's head would be a good place to explode. The blue-capped Toad looked like he was about to scream. "No, no, you didn't… The Koopa didn't see your fire, did it?" He was panicking now.

"He did… What's wrong?"

Russ was shaking like a leaf. He tried and failed to start talking several times, before taking a few deep breaths. "Okay, okay… that… what you saw was a Koopa Troopa. They… they caused the near-extinction of your species, twenty-five years ago… and this is the first time they've been seen in twenty years."

"Why?" Mario asked.

Russ T sighed. "There… there was a prophecy. The late Koopa King heard that four humans, each with mastery over one of the elements, would bring an end to his kingdom. He… he sent his troops, to take out every last human on the continent… apart from you two and the princess, as far as we know. He died while storming the castle on the day of the young princess's birth… But he took her parents with him. That's all I know," Russ said. "I hoped… I hoped you wouldn't have to find out," he said quietly.

"Why haven't we heard of this before?" Luigi asked, while pouring himself his fourth cup of tea.

"... Most of it happened in secret," Russ said. "Only three people in Toad Town know anything about it beyond the final battle. Me, the Princess's steward Toadsworth, and the fortune-teller, Merlon. He's the one who told us… to protect you three."

"Oh…" Mario said.

"Come on," Russ said, getting up. "We need to go see him."

"But my-"

"Luigi, you've had seven cups of tea in as many minutes," Russ said. "And this is pretty important, don't you think?"

"... Right," Luigi said, putting down his teacup and following Mario and Russ out the door.

[break]

They didn't spend much time at Merlon's house. The strange robed man took one look at them, and seemed to know exactly why they were there.

A few minutes later, Mario realized where they were heading, and became excited. All his life, he'd heard about the castle… Stared at it from his window, whenever he'd gotten the chance, and fantasized about how it must be like a maze inside, about all the hidden nooks and crannies he could find by exploring it.

It seemed that he might get the chance… Or maybe not. He wasn't sure what, exactly, was going to happen here.

The door was answered by a rather old-looking Toad with a brown cap, white moustache, and purple waistcoat.

"I say! Merlon, my boy, to what do I owe this pleas… Oh," he said, noticing Russ and the bros. "It's… business. Come along, then… I'll fetch the princess." He led them into a large lobby, with walls painted to look like the hills surrounding Toad Town, and a checker-tiled floor with a sun emblem in the center of the room. He walked up the stairs, and entered one of the many doors in the room. Moments later, he came out, accompanied by the princess.

Mario had seen pictures of Princess Peach - her subjects simply adored her, and some artists made their entire careers off of selling pictures of her. The real princess was just as pretty… But it became pretty clear within a few seconds that she acted nothing like the 'proper princess' she looked like. She immediately grabbed onto the railing by her room, and swung over it to the bottom floor, leaving Toadsworth behind.

Peach walked over to the Mario Brothers surprisingly steadily and quickly, considering that she was obviously wearing high heels. "Hello," she said pleasantly to the Mario Brothers and Merlon. "It's nice to see you again, Merlon. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"These are the Mario Brothers. They're the only other humans we know of in the Mushroom King-"

"Are they here so I can pick one to marry?"

"No-"

"Good. Go on."

"Well… It's time I told you something," Merlon said. "You are aware of the battle between your parents and Morton Koopa?"

"Wasn't that a power struggle? I don't see what that has anything to do with these two."

"Well… No. Twenty-six years ago, I met with Morton. He wanted me to tell his future, you see. I foretold that four humans of the Mushroom Kingdom, masters of their respective elements, would bring great change to the Koopa Kingdom, and a new age would begin. He took that to mean that four people would end his kingdom… And ran a crusade against humanity."

"The next five years were filled with terror for all humans," Merlon continued. "No one knew what was going on. People would just disappear, with no explanation. Sometimes they'd go on vacation, and never return. Most just disappeared overnight, without even a trace of their house remaining. Some caught on, and fled to the south - more willing to face an unknown they could control than one they couldn't. In the end, only the royal family remained in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"You know what happened that day… Your father and Morton fought, a long and hard battle. In the end, there was no winner. Neither lived to tell the tale…"

"That was my birthday," Peach said.

"Yes, it was. You were born later that day, but your mother… She was gravely injured by the battle. It's a miracle you survived. For a time, we believed you were the last."

"Until you found about us, right?" Luigi asked.

"Yes. Soon after the birth of the princess, we found out that two young boys were abandoned on Yoshi's Island. No one knows where you came from, but it's clear that all three of you are humans mentioned in the prophecy. At only twenty years old, Mario has mastered the element of fire."

Mario demonstrated by igniting his hands.

"Luigi, air."

Luigi spun on the spot, creating a small tornado.

"And Princess Peach, water."

Peach held out her hand, and the air grew dryer as water pooled above Peach's hands.

"There's only one more to find… The master of earth. I know not who or where this person lives… But, perhaps, the Star Spirits may know. Princess, I believe you've conversed with them before?"

Peach nodded, and motioned for the Bros to follow her out the door.

Mario and Luigi glanced at each other. For a moment, it almost seemed like they were having a silent conversation. But the moment passed, and they ran after the Princess with confidence.

[end chapter 1]

**jakeroo123: Alright! It's time for a new story! This one is a bit different than my others... In that, well, it's a collaborative effort! I'm writing this with my sister. Here's what she has to say.**

_elisheva: Okay, I'm pretty excited about this story because it features Peach, aka one of my favorite characters anywhere in Mario canon. I don't really have much to say yet, but I may in upcoming chapters._

**j: Anyway, this is an AU story, with quite a bit of inspiration from Avatar: The Last Airbender. There are eight elements in this world, the four "classical" ones: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth; along with Thunder, Ice, Life, and Darkness. All the species have the ability to use elemental powers, but only humans can truly master their element. Different species have different kinds of magic they excel at. The lands beyond the Mushroom Kingdom either don't exist or haven't been discovered.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Star Spirits

**Chapter 2: The Star Spirits**

* * *

If Luigi could put a word to Shooting Star Summit, that word would be "stunning". As they approached the mountain, the sky grew darker, despite it being merely three in the afternoon. As the sky became gradually darker, glittering stars became visible to the adventurers, illuminating what would otherwise have been a dark blue-washed mountain.

The mountain wasn't particularly large, but it was spectacular nonetheless. Star-shaped crystals adorned the hill, and the dirt itself was a glistening purple. Small shooting stars fell out of the sky and onto the ground every few seconds, but didn't seem to cause any harm to the travelers. Though the Mario Brothers has never been there before, they were filled with a sense of being somewhere otherworldly.

"Shooting Star Summit may be beautiful," Peach said, having noticed the amazed looks on the Mario Brothers' faces, "but that isn't what it's most famous for. Like Merlon mentioned earlier, Star Spirits appear to those standing at its peak and speak to them."

"Who are the star spirits, exactly?" Mario asked. "I've heard a few things, but I was never a big reader…"

"I'd like to know, too," Luigi added, as they started climbing the spiralling path up the hill. "I've read a few of the legends, but they don't agree on much. What are they like?"

"Well, what I can tell you depends on what you know," Peach said as she adeptly navigated the path, lifting the hem of her dress slightly to prevent it from slowing down her climb. "The Star Spirits are in charge of wishes for all of Mushroom Kingdom. There are seven in total, and for the most part they're pretty laid back...except for Eldstar, of course, but he [i]is[/i] the oldest in Star Haven..."

"I've heard they have a magic rod-thing that can grant any wish. Is that true?"

"Yes, and that magic rod-thing is called the Star Rod." The group was now a little more than halfway up the hill.

"Amazing…" Luigi said. Mario nodded in agreement.

The brothers didn't say anything for the rest of the walk up, too lost in thought. Before long, they reached the top. The Mario Brothers were in awe - From the top of the hill, the entirety of the Mushroom Plains could be seen, and even a bit of the rest of the kingdom. If Mario squinted, he could even see the island he was born on, far on the horizon.

Peach stepped towards the center of the peak, and cleared her throat.

"Eldstar! Mamar! Klevar! Those other ones, too!" Peach called out. "I wish to have a word with you."

Seven flickering forms appeared around the group, coming more clearly into focus as the seconds ticked . One, a yellow star-like creature with a truly impressive white moustache and matching eyebrows, began to speak.

"Hello, Princess. To what do we owe this… Honor? And, how many times have I asked you to not address us informally when you bring guests? Nine times?"

Peach nodded.

"Aw, come on, Eldstar. Give her a break," a blue star wearing a sailor's cap cut in. "She's got spirit, and I like that in a princess!"

"Yes, Muskular. I know. Onto business. Who are these two you've brought before us?"

"I'm Mario," Mario said. "And this is my little bro, Luigi."

"Little? Ha! hardly anything-"

"Muskular!"

"Shutting up."

"... Anyway," Mario continued. "We're here to learn more about a prophecy? Concerning four humans? Merlon thinks we're three of the four."

Muskular, who until now had been grinning quite widely, suddenly adopted a somber expression. The five Star Spirits who had been talking among themselves suddnely stopped as well, and all stared at the group.

"... This is quite serious, then," said a star with a small, black moustache. "... In truth, we hoped that this day wouldn't come."

"The prophecy," started the next star, a rather young-looking one clutching a book, "States that four humans, raised in the Mushroom Kingdom, will bring great change to the world… There will be a turning point in the history of the Koopa Kingdom."

A purple star with an odd brown moustache and glasses continued where the last had left off. "The turning point could either lead the world to a long era of peace and prosperity…"

"Or plunge it into chaos for many decades," a pink star with an orange ribbon around herself said.

"If all four heroes aren't present at the time of the turning point, it will fail," an orange star with a bow finished.

"So, as you see," Eldstar said. "It is of utmost importance that you find the last master… Which ones are you?"

"Mario and Luigi are Fire and Air," Peach said.

"So that leaves Earth…" Eldstar said.

"Do you know who it is?" Luigi asked hopefully.

Eldstar closed his eyes, looking a bit downcast. "No… None of us know who the last master is… But now that we know all three of your elements, we should be able to determine where he or she is. All together now..."

All the star spirits closed their eyes, concentrating, and began to glow. Their power seemed to reach out to each other, and combine in the very center of the air above the peak. Within the glow formed an image, of a field full of orange flowers. Just as soon as the image appeared, the spell broke, and the star spirits opened their eyes, clearly weary.

"Flower Fields. The last of the four is in Flower Fields."

"... Whoa," Luigi said. "That was… wow. Can you see everywhere?"

"Just in the Mushroom Kingdom," Muskular said. "Except Forever Forest. That place freaks Skolar out."

"Does not!" the purple star yelled.

"Yes it does," the other six said in unison, even Eldstar.

"So, we should head to Flower Fields?" Mario asked. "When should we leave?"

"Well, certainly not before a good night's sleep," the orange star with a bow said.

"Mamar is correct. We also have some gifts that may come in handy somewhere down the line," the book-holding star said. "We'll get them to the castle by the morning. You all should be on your way for now, though."

"Adding to what Klevar said," the calm-looking star spirit with the black moustache began, "you should be sure to go shopping before you set off. You never know what you'll need."

"And if you ever need our help," the pink star said, "just call our names. We might not always be able to provide what you need, but we'll always help in any way we can. I am Misstar, and that was Kalmar. I believe you've heard everyone else's names now, right?"

Mario and Luigi nodded.

"Good. If you forget, ask our darling princess; she knows all of us by heart. Now, off with you - the princess does need her beauty sleep."

[break]

The Mario Brothers slept in the castle that night, for a combination of security reasons and because it was simply more convenient.

After a quick breakfast, Toadsworth informed the three that there was, in fact, something for each of them in the lobby. The gifts turned out to be backpacks, red for Mario, green for Luigi, and blue for Peach, along with a package for each of them.

Peach opened hers first, and found within a pink parasol. There was a note with it, explaining that it was called a "Sneaky Parasol" - It could be used to disguise the user as anybody, and on top of that was nearly indestructible. The note also went on to say that the backpacks had nearly limitless capacity - and that hers also had a special compartment with a large supply of water in it, so she wasn't limited by a lack of liquid.

Mario and Luigi's first gifts were identical - They each had received a large black mallet and a new pair of boots. Mario also received a yellow cape, and Luigi a green boomerang. Unlike the princess, they did not receive notes along with their gifts.

Mario immediately put the cape on, posing like a superhero. Luigi and the Princess laughed at the sight. They put all their new equipment away for the time being, and went to say goodbye to Toadsworth, Russ T, and Merlon.

"Well, we'll be heading out now then," Peach said to the three that they were leaving behind at the castle. She was sure that Toadsworth would be able to keep the castle running smoothly while she was gone, so she didn't see any reason to worry about their adventure.

"Be safe, princess," Toadsworth said. "If you ever need anything…"

"Find some new reading for me, will you, Luigi?" Russ T asked.

"Of course."

"Mario," Merlon addressed the man in red. "I… You are to be the leader. I have foreseen this. It's a great responsibility. Take care of your friends, they need you, and you need them. Never give up, for if you do…"

Mario nodded; no words were needed.

"Good luck to you all," Merlon said. "Now, it's time to go… I bid you farewell."

[end chapter 2]

**jakeroo123: It may not be as long as the last chapter, but I don't think it really needed to be. I mean, we could have described their shopping, but, really, was there a point?**

_elisheva: I had a little bit more influence in this chapter and my parts ended up being a little longer...thanks for reviewing and stuff._

**j: Until next time! (which probably won't be quite so fast.)**


	3. Chapter 3: Koopa Pack, Attack!

**Chapter 3: Koopa Pack, Attack!**

For the first day, adventuring wasn't all that interesting. Mostly they just walked, and took a few breaks to practice with their new things and eat. Peach had already managed to figure out how to disguise herself with her parasol, and managed to trick Luigi into thinking she was Mario for a few minutes, until he asked her to light a fire so they could cook some lunch.

As it turned out, they didn't need to store their weapons in their backpacks - They just appeared when they needed them, and left when they didn't. Luigi spent a bit of time trying to figure out how this worked, until Mario pointed out that conjuring fire didn't make the slightest bit of sense either.

Mario learned how to play what he called "a kind of tennis." It was actually a way for him to attack with his hammer and his fire at the same time, by producing a large fireball and batting at it with his hammer. He didn't have terribly good aim, but the results were…destructive, to say the least.

Luigi instead focused on controlling his boomerang with air currents. It was actually surprisingly effective: with the boomerang, he could actually manage to make a miniature tornado that lasted a few minutes, and control its direction.

Finally, as the sun went down, they set up their camp. The brothers were perfectly content with just sleeping in a couple of trees, but Peach had a rather elaborate tent for herself. All was well so far.

Unfortunately, the peace didn't last for long. The group had a rather rude awakening at the crack of dawn, by way of four Koopas attacking Peach's tent.

Before he had even fully woken up, Mario jumped down and shot a fireball at the Koopas. This turned out to be a mistake, as the red Koopa in the group tucked into his shell and spun to deflect it right back at the red brother.

Now, Mario was fully awake. Though he was not entirely coherent, as he was attempting to put out his flaming overalls. He was still trying when he was doused with water, and looked over to see the Princess directing the water back into the special pouch in her backpack.

"Now, who do you think you are?" Peach said, her voice losing some of its usual dulcet quality to become something that sounding a lot more threatening.

"We're a squad working for Bowser," the red Koopa said, stepping forward. "I am Pomodoro, and these are my siblings."

"Melanzano," the black Koopa introduced himself, getting into a fighting stance.

"Citronello," the yellow Koopa followed suit.

"And I'm Asparago," the green Koopa finished up. "Remember me?"

Mario was too busy laughing to reply to that. "Are those… really… your names?"

"Hey! We're supposed to be cool and threatening!" Pomodoro said. "What's wrong with our names?"

"Everything," Mario said.

"That's it! ATTACK!" Pomodoro shouted, ducking into his shell and shooting off towards Mario. Mario jumped up to try and simply land on his shell, but the shell ignited just before he landed, burning his feet.

Citronello wasted no time in going after Peach. Rather than curling up into his shell, he just stomped on the ground, creating miniature shockwaves that knocked the Princess off her feet. This gave Asparago time to dash at her and land a solid punch to her cheek, but he wasn't quite fast enough to avoid being whacked with a surprisingly painful umbrella.

Mario was having problems with Melanzano, as well. The black-shelled Koopa turned out to have a rather large collection of miniature bombs, which he kept throwing at Mario and having Pomodoro ignite at just the wrong moment. After being blown up about seven or eight times, Mario was fed up with it. He whipped out the cape, and actually managed to knock Pomodoro out of his constant, firey spinning and into his brother. Mario was so stunned by this, he didn't react in time to prevent Asparago from slugging him in the back of the head.

By this time, Peach had figured out how to stay out of reach of Citronello by using her parasol as a sort of parachute. Hanging on to it with one hand, she used her other hand to send a high-powered jet of water at the yellow Koopa, knocking him onto his back and taking him out of the fight.

When Mario looked up to see Pomodoro shooting at him, engulfed in flames once more, he thought it might be the end for him. At least, until a stream of water splashed over the Koopa, dousing the flames and allowing Mario to grab onto his shell. Using the shell to boost himself up quickly, Mario jumped over and landed on Melanzano, sending him into his own shell. Getting an idea, he kicked Melanzano at Pomodoro.

It might have worked, too, if Pomodoro hadn't come out of his shell at the last second, caught Melanzano, and tossed him at the still-hovering princess. Melanzano uncurled in midair, kicking Peach's parasol out of her hands. Before Mario could react, he was knocked to the ground by Pomodoro, and Peach landed right next to him. Both heroes off their feet, the Koopas surrounded them, ready to finish the fight.

They may have succeeded, too, if not for the resident heavy sleeper having woken up, and been waiting for the right moment to strike. The man in green threw his boomerang without ever leaving the tree he slept in.

The boomerang quickly gained a small tornado around it, and flew around the four Koopas, sucking them in before they knew what was happening while leaving Mario and Peach unharmed and unmoved. The boomerang spun quicker and quicker, until the koopas flew out of the top, flung far out of sight.

"Thanks for the save, bro!" Mario congratulated his brother as the latter walked towards him.

Luigi shrugged. "Wouldn't have been able to do it if you weren't distracting them."

"Please," Mario said. He suddenly snickered. "Guess what? Their names were Pomodoro, Melanzano, Citronello, and Asparago!"

Luigi laughed. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Noticing the Princess's confused expression, Luigi began to explain. "Their names mean Tomato, Eggplant, Lemon, and Asparagus."

Peach giggled at hearing their names; they sounded a lot sillier when they were in a language that she could actually understand.

Mario held up his cape, "This saved my life… The Star Spirits definitely know what they're talking about." He put the cape on, just as he had when joking around the day before. "I think I'll keep it on me from now on."

From there, the three heroes packed up, and moved on. They walked the rest of the day, with nothing of any real consequence or interest happening. They even managed to reach a town around midday, and checked into an inn so they'd have a place to stay that night.

They had some time to spare, so they decided that it would be a good time to stock up on some gear. Toad Town, despite being the center of the country, sold more generalized gear than other places. Faire Square was slightly more old-fashioned, as far as architecture went, but it definitely had some interesting things on sale.

By the end of the day, they'd each found a few new things, not all of them entirely practical. Mario's idea of getting them all Mailbox SPs, in case they got separated, was definitely a good choice. Peach's new ring, on the other hand, was less so, though Mario couldn't completely fault her for that. After all, he'd bought a nice-looking green bandana for Luigi to wear around his neck.

Mario found something else extremely practical: Small bombs. They weren't terribly powerful, and probably wouldn't injure someone any worse than getting hit on the head with a hammer would, but they'd definitely come in handy for clearing away obstacles.

After re-stocking on food, the three were satisfied with their purchases, and returned to the inn to rest for the night.

[break]

**Dear Diary,**

**Today, one of the koopas… Asparagus or something, he's just a scout, told me he discovered two of the four. And that they've started travelling with the princess, to search for the fourth. So, I gave him and all his brothers a promotion, and a new mission: Go after them. I offered them special training if they did well.**

**When they came back, they were in hysterics because they lost to the two men and the princess. I didn't expect them to beat them, to be honest. So, I told them:**

**"I only wanted you to see how they fought. You're still getting that special training. You'll start in the morning. For now, though, rest, and think about what they did. Learn from your mistakes, so you can eventually take them on. Tell your friends what you've learned. ALWAYS share what you know of them. Knowledge is half the battle already."**

**After all, it's been twenty-five years. If I rush it, then I'll probably fail. But if I take my time, learn about my enemies… I believe I can succeed. I WILL succeed. I WILL make my grandfather's wishes reality, because he never could.**

**KING BOWSER DOES NOT FAIL.**

[end chapter 3]

**jakeroo123: Yes, the bandana is, in fact, identical to Mr. L's. Just thought it'd be a nice little thing to have… And it may have a practical purpose later, hint hint. Okay yeah that was obvious. Anyway, the cape's also a permanent part of Mario's outfit now. He still doesn't know he can fly, though. Also, diary entry from Bowser at the end - Thought his perspective would be nice.**

_elisheva: This chapter took a little longer than the others (though, to be fair, you were all warned of that early on). The Koopas do all have incredibly stupid names, so please feel free to make fun of them in your reviews._


	4. Chapter 4: The Big Bad Cloud?

**Chapter 4: The Big Bad… Cloud?**

The three heroes left Faire Square early in the morning, hoping to make good time in reaching their destination. They actually did manage to reach Flower Fields around noon, surprisingly without being attacked.

Right on the border between the Mushroom Plains and Flower Fields, there was a small town, known as "Windmillville". It certainly lived up to its name, with half the building being windmills. It was quite a pretty place, rather open and full of flowers.

It was also completely empty. Mario, Luigi, and Peach walked down the dirt roads for a few minutes, looking for any signs of life.

"This is eerie," Luigi said, as they reach the large yellow windmill in the center of town.

"I know," Mario agreed. "What happened here?"

Peach seemed worried. She walked forward, and knocked on the door of the big yellow windmill.

"... Who's there?!" yelled a scared voice from inside.

"Princess Peach!" Peach answered. "Let me in!"

A few tense seconds passed before the door slowly creaked open, and an odd figure beckoned them to come inside.

[break]

"What happened here?" Mario asked the strange person sitting across from them.

"Well… oh my, where to start…" The creature said. It was a bit odd-looking, to say the least. He had green skin, was shaped like an onion with feet, and had a blue flower growing out of his head. It was the first time either of the Mario Bros had seen a Bub-ulb, though Peach was apparently familiar with them.

"Well, I'm the mayor's assistant," the Bub-ulb said, "My name is Bubler. This morning, everything was just normal… The mayor and her husband were eating breakfast with their daughter, Daisy. I was cooking up my own breakfast, when it happened."

He took a deep breath. "We were attacked by… I know you're not going to believe me, but cloud monsters! They were kinda brownish, and whenever someone upset them, they just zapped them with electricity from their mouths! They knocked me out and took everyone else… I don't know why they left me," he admitted. "But… I don't know what to do! I can't go get them… I just hope they're all okay…"

Mario and Luigi looked at each other. Saving people from monsters…? That was just up their alley.

"We'll help," Mario said.

"You can count on us," Luigi agreed.

"Of course we'll assist in any way we can," Peach added.

"Thank you," Bubler said. "I can't thank you enough… Oh, wait! Here," he gave them a bean. "This is a magic bean. Plant it, and it will make a beanstalk leading into the sky. I bet that's where they went. But don't plant it here, it needs fertile soil… Ah! You can ask Wise Wisterwood. He's a bit of a walk to the west of here."

Mario, Luigi, and Peach thanked Bubler for his help, and left to find Wise Wisterwood, whoever that may be.

[break]

As it turned out, Wise Wisterwood was an absolutely gigantic tree. That could talk. He didn't actually waste much time talking, though. He just told them there was a patch of fertile soil near him, and that he'd seen the cloud monsters (which he referred to as "Ruff Puffs") taking the townspeople to the clouds directly above.

Within minutes, the heroes were climbing a beanstalk into the sky. Luigi was in the lead, hopping from leaf to leaf with agility, while Mario was helping the princess climb.

"He's a pretty good jumper," Peach noted.

"Never seen anyone best him," Mario replied, as he jumped to the next leaf and held his hands down to pull Peach up. "People used to call him 'Frog' when we were kids."

"I can see why," Peach said as she climbed up. Luigi had just done an odd kicking jump that took him well over fifty feet in the air, easily landing on one of the solid clouds at the top of the beanstalk.

Mario, meanwhile, had stopped on the last leaf. "Hm… I can get up there, but you wouldn't be able to reach me, so… Hm…"

"Oh, just carry me. You seem strong enough."

"... If you say so," Mario said, picking up Peach. He ran a short distance forward, and made a hop, skip, and landed right on the edge of the leaf. For an instant, Peach was afraid they'd fall, but Mario JUMPED into the air.

Peach wasn't entirely sure what happened next. One second, she was in Mario's arms, the next she was swirling around with a flash of colors, and then she collapsed onto the cloud, dizzy.

"Sorry," she heard Mario's voice saying. "The Triple Jump is kind of hard on passengers..."

Peach stood up, brushing herself of. "Triple…?"

"We invented it," Mario said. "Like the Double Jump - Can you do that?"

"No," Peach said bitterly.

"Oh… Well, take that, and add another jump. It's about twice as high as the double jump, and I don't know anyone but us who can do it."

Before Peach could reply, a cry for help was heard.

"Come on," Mario said, running off. Luigi ran ahead of Mario, and Peach was left following the two through the beautiful, if a little boring, cloudy landscape.

The source of the sound soon became apparent - Stuck inside cages all around on a large cloud were people of all sorts trapped in cages. Floating above the center of the fluffy platform was a large, brownish cloud creature. In its hand, it held a cage containing…

Mario's heart skipped a beat. In the cage was a red-haired girl, dressed in simple orange athletic clothes.

Who also happened to be human.

[end chapter 4]

**jakeroo123: Whew! That took… awhile. Both me and E have started school again, so… Well, it was a bit harder for both of us to find time to write. I'm glad it's finally done though. Sorry it's short, but… Well, I thought that was a good enough place to end. Hopefully the next won't take so long. Also, introducing the first completely original character for this story: Bubler! Who really has a very minor role. And, in the next chapter, Daisy comes into play! E's really excited about her favorite character.**

_elisheva: sorry again for the delay. daisy is my fave so :D_


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